The Department of Emergency Management says the storm surge could devastate homes on Oahu's North Shore particularly those on the stretch from Mokuleia to Sunset and further up the coast. Many of those homes are already on edge from past battles with erosion. Members of the Emergency Management Reserve Corps will be dispatched to the North shore to help in any way they can this weekend. It may involve opening emergency shelters for people who evacuate their homes. No sh...

Friday, February 8th 2019, 10:34 PM HST by KITV Web Staff

The Department of Emergency Management says the storm surge could devastate homes on Oahu's North Shore particularly those on the stretch from Mokuleia to Sunset and further up the coast.

Many of those homes are already on edge from past battles with erosion.

Members of the Emergency Management Reserve Corps will be dispatched to the North shore to help in any way they can this weekend.

It may involve opening emergency shelters for people who evacuate their homes. No shelters have been opened yet but, if there is a need, there will be alerts from the county. Right now North Shore residents are asked to prepare.

"This particular weather pattern that we're seeing now, National Weather Service is telling us that they haven't seen a pattern like this in some time, and so we don't know what the impacts will be but the potential is significant," Hirokazu Toiya, Director of the Department of Emergency Management said.

Emergency management officials are urging North Shore residents to clear out the first floors of homes for potential flooding, and take whatever other precautions are needed early like stocking up on food or sandbags.

Also, avoid driving on washed out roads.

This message is also directed at visitors who may want to travel to see the epic swells, if the waves do get as large as predicted they could impact all of O'ahu's shores.

"If it gets as big as projected, we will see wrap around effects at places like Sandy Beach even Diamond Head, coming down around the East side so one of the things we'd like to emphasize is no matter where you are on the beaches or on the shorelines there is a potential for wave runup. Unusually high wave runup," Jim Howe from the Honolulu Emergency Services Department said.

Leeward and windward coasts may see the impacts as well.

Honolulu's Ccean Safety teams are prepared to dispatch more lifeguards if needed.